Create and install custom project templates

JetBrains Rider supports the template system used by the .NET CLI command dotnet new, which allows you to use project templates from the .NET template catalog as well as custom templates that you can create on your own.

There are two ways to install new project templates.

You can run dotnet new install <template-package> in the command line, where <template-package> is a NuGet package ID, a path to a .nupkg file, or a path to a template folder. This requires the .NET SDK.
In the New Project/New Solution dialog, click Install Templates… below the template list. If you have already added a custom template source, click Manage Templates… instead. In the dialog that opens, click Install Template… and select a template folder containing .template.config or a .nupkg file.
When the template path appears in the list, click Close. JetBrains Rider reloads the available templates.

Create custom project template

Create a project with the required structure. You can take any project as a starting point or create a new one using any of the existing templates.
The following example uses a console project targeting .NET 10 with one source file.
ConsoleAppAsyncMain ├── bin ├── obj ├── MyProject.csproj ├── Program.cs
MyProject.csproj sets TargetFramework to net10.0. Program.cs contains an async Main method as the application entry point:
using System; using System.Threading.Tasks; namespace MyProject { class Program { static async Task Main(string[] args) { Console.WriteLine("Hello World!"); } } }
Copy the project folder to a location from which you will use it as a template.
Remove bin, obj, and any other directories and files that are not related to the source code of the template.
In the copied project directory (which is now the template directory), add a folder named .template.config and a file named template.json inside it.
Now the template structure should look as follows:
MyTemplates ├── ConsoleAppAsyncMain ├── .template.config ├── template.json ├── MyProject.csproj ├── Program.cs
Specify template properties in the template descriptor template.json.
The following descriptor defines the template, its target framework choices, and a greeting parameter. Use target frameworks supported by the project and the installed .NET SDK. For more information, refer to Custom templates for dotnet new.
{ "author": "Your Name", "name": "Async Main Console Application", "description": "A project for creating a command-line application that can run on .NET on Windows, Linux and macOS, and has an async Main method.", "identity": "YourName.ConsoleApp.1.0", "shortName": "consoleasync", "tags": { "language": "C#", "type": "project" }, "sourceName": "MyProject", "symbols": { "Framework": { "type": "parameter", "description": "The target framework for the project.", "datatype": "choice", "choices": [ { "choice": "net8.0" }, { "choice": "net10.0" } ], "defaultValue": "net10.0", "replaces": "net10.0" }, "Greeting": { "type": "parameter", "datatype": "string", "description": "The message printed by the application.", "defaultValue": "Hello World!", "replaces": "Hello World!" } } }
Set sourceName to the name used in the original project: MyProject in this example.
When you create a project from this template, the template engine replaces this value in file names and file contents with the new project name.
In this example, the new name replaces the project file name and the namespace in Program.cs. The replaces properties make the template engine substitute the selected framework and greeting in the project files.
Install the template in the New Project/New Solution dialog. Click Install Templates… or Manage Templates…, then click Install Template… and select the ConsoleAppAsyncMain folder containing .template.config.
When the template path appears in the list, click Close to reload the templates.
Select the installed template under Custom Templates in the list on the left. Specify the project options and click Create.

Customize a template for JetBrains Rider

To customize how a .NET project template appears in JetBrains Rider, add rider.host.json beside template.json in the .template.config folder. These overrides let you provide different labels and defaults for JetBrains Rider without changing the template configuration for other hosts.

JetBrains Rider also accepts Rider.host.json and uses it in preference to rider.host.json if both files exist. It does not use ide.host.json or dotnetcli.host.json as fallbacks. The supported properties follow the ide.host.json schema, with the limitations described below.

For example, the following host file customizes the Greeting parameter from the template above. It keeps the option visible, changes its label and tooltip, and sets a default greeting for projects created in JetBrains Rider:

            {
                "symbolInfo": [
                    {
                        "id": "Greeting",
                        "isVisible": true,
                        "name": { "text": "Greeting message" },
                        "description": { "text": "Enter the message to print when the application starts." },
                        "defaultValue": "Hello from Rider!"
                    }
                ]
            }
        

The following properties are supported:

Property	Behavior
`name`, `description`	At the root level, override the template name and description. In a `symbolInfo` entry, override the option label and tooltip. Specify each value as an object with a `text` string, as shown above.
`symbolInfo`	An array of option overrides. Each entry identifies an existing option by `id`. Match the parameter name and its capitalization in template.json. Unknown IDs are ignored; options without an entry keep their existing configuration.
`isVisible`, `defaultSymbolVisibility`	Set `isVisible` to `true` or `false` for an option. If an entry omits `isVisible`, JetBrains Rider uses the root-level `defaultSymbolVisibility`, which defaults to `false`. This default applies only to options listed in `symbolInfo`.
`defaultValue`	Override the default of a visible option. Use a string, including for Boolean and numeric values: for example, `"true"` or `"42"`. A choice default needs to match an existing choice ID; otherwise, JetBrains Rider keeps the previous default.
`choices`	An array within a choice option entry. Match each existing choice by `id` and override its label with `name`. You cannot add choices through this file. Choice descriptions are not displayed.
`invertBoolean`	Set to `true` to display a Boolean option with the opposite value. JetBrains Rider inverts the selected value before passing it to the template engine. If you also specify `defaultValue`, it defines the value shown in the dialog.

To reload an installed template after changing its host file, open Manage Templates… in the New Project/New Solution dialog and click Close.

02 November 2026